The Project

CIRCULAR RAINBOW – Fostering circular trout farming that optimises production, environmental and economic sustainability and responds to the effects of climate change – ended

Financed by the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia 2021-2027 programme, the CIRCULAR RAINBOW project aimed at improving the sustainability and resilience of traditional trout farming through the use of RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture System) plants for a responsible use of water resources and the development of a Digital Twin for management efficiency considering techno-economic aspects and identifying new value chains for sludge valorisation in a circularity approach.

The CIRCULAR RAINBOW project, through the use of RAS, optimised the management of surface water, which is a limited and increasingly contested resource among various agro-livestock sectors. The recovery of wastewater and sludge produced in RAS systems also made it possible to obtain fermentable organic material that was valorised in anaerobic digestion systems for biogas production.

The project also proposed an innovative use of the sludge from the RAS systems as co-substrates for new production models, using insect larvae (Hermetia illucens) for their bio-conversion into new biomasses, useful for other agro-industrial supply chains.

CIRCULAR RAINBOW aimed to promote the transition of trout farming towards circular models through actions to:

  • reduce the dependence of trout farming on water resources;
  • reduce the environmental impact of trout farming through resource recovery: energy from wastewater, nitrogen, phosphorous or new biomass;
  • digitise the management of RAS plants by helping to improve the efficiency of the systems;
  • implement the self-sufficiency of the agri-food system by training qualified personnel.

As a whole, the CIRCULAR RAINBOW project contributed to increase and demonstrate the feasibility of a transition of the programme area towards new generation agro-livestock practices, contributing to the development of a circular economy in a material flow that is an integral part of the blue economy.

The project was implemented by a transnational partnership composed of:

  • University of Udine (Coordinating Partner)
  • University of Ljubljana
  • Bluefarm srl
  • Agricultural and Forestry Institute of Kranj

Bluefarm contributed to the project in particular through the development of digital models for the simulation and prediction of RAS systems, which were indispensable for the realisation of Digital Twins that optimised trout farming systems from the point of view of both resource use and the reduction of environmental impacts and maximisation of economic profitability.

Bluefarm’s total budget for the CIRCULAR RAINBOW project is €199,607.20, of which €159,685.76 (80%) is covered by ERDF contribution and €39,921.44 (20%) by national contribution. The project started on 15/04/2024 and ended on 14/04/2026.

For more information visit the official website of the project!

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